These and many other articles have popped up in the news in the last week explaining the details of several resent studies that have linked the amount of sitting and TV watching people do with an increased risk of death. The studies found for every hour spent watching TV (sitting still) was associated with an 18% increase in heart disease deaths and an 11% increase in deaths overall. People who watched TV at least 4 hours a day were 80% more likely to die of heart disease than those who watched less than 2 hours a day. By the way, Americans watch an average of 5 hours of TV a day.
From birth to death, we never stop moving. Even asleep, we toss and turn; the heart beats. Motion – that’s what the human body is all about.
He goes on to say,
You are not moving enough to keep your body and overall health from deteriorating.
Have you ever stopped to think that movement is as much of a biological imperative as food and water? It it. There was a time, and not long ago, when it was easy, instinctive, to obey the biological imperative of motion. Man moved because he had to. Not anymore. Survival doesn’t depend on motion. We can sit at a desk, sit in a car, sit in front of the TV set, and live the “good life.”
But we are paying for this “good life” of ours with illness, disability, pain, and despair. What all of us must do is deliberately and systematically get our bodies back in motion despite a modern lifestyle that discourages movement, and even encourages us to believe that we can survive and prosper as sedentary beings who treat motion as an inconvenience that can be minimized with the help of technology. Just as we would perish without food and water, we will perish once our bodies are deprived of the movement necessary to maintain our vital physiological systems.
As a species, particularly those of us who live in the industrialized world, we are getting closer and closer to the edge, and that’s why I developed the Egoscue Method. It is a way to provide each person with sufficient motion, motion that is no longer built into the daily pattern of our lives the way it was just a few decades ago; and it is a way back to motion that is in accord with the body’s design requirements. Motion doesn’t just happen anymore. From now on we’ll have to work at it. The Egoscue Method is your tool box.
Resources to help get you out of your chair and moving again (and thus saving your life!):
Pain Free at Your PC – Gives Egoscuecises you can do while at work to break up the sitting
Pain Free for Women – This is not just for women! It contains many different routines to jump-start your body including amazing strength routines both with and without weights that will be a challenge to anyone, even a high level athlete.
Egoscue Pain Free Workout Series – These DVD’s lead you through a workout designed to wake up all the dormant muscles and joints in your body and give your heart a boost as well.
Beyond Pain Free Journals – This gives you workouts to do 6 days a week for a month that will take you to a new level of fitness and you’ll have fun while doing it.
Patch Fitness – Come and experience the fun, challenging, and dynamic workout that Patch Fitness gives you. Call our clinic to set up a time to come check it out for free. 503-350-0888
Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal curvature of the spine when viewed from the front or back. It typically looks like this:
The Mayo Clinic states: “Doctors don’t know what causes the most common type of scoliosis…” but they do know that it most often occurs during a growth spurt. Scoliosis can cause lung, heart and back problems including arthritis and degeneration. The Mayo Clinic says typical treatments are braces and surgery and states “physical therapy exercises can’t stop scoliosis.” WebMD states “there is no evidence that corrective exercises, electrical stimulation, or chiropractic manipulation are effective treatments for scoliosis.”
But is that really true?
Can exercise or more specifically posture correction exercises effect scoliosis?
You tell me. Here is a woman’s photo of normal relaxed standing before Egoscue:
Here is the same woman 1 1/2 hours later after Egoscue:
What do you think?
Do you think Egoscue exercises can affect scoliosis?
Do you think Egoscue might be able to stop the progression of scoliosis?
Do you think it could start reversing scoliosis?
Now let’s explore why. First thing to remember is bones don’t move bones. Muscles move bones. We all know this. Most treatments for scoliosis focus on the bones, but we all know the bones are only doing what the muscles are telling them to do. Fix the muscle imbalances and the bones will follow. Another way to look at it is: form follows function. Restore the function to the muscles and the form of the bones and joints changes. This is what Egoscue focuses on.
Another important thing to remember is the spine doesn’t function all on it’s own. So treatments focused on the spine allow will not create long term change. Why is this? Well the spine is balanced on top of the pelvis and the spine is reacting to what the shoulder blades are doing. Take a look at the first image in this post. Notice how they pointed out the uneven shoulders and hips? That’s key. Those imbalances have to be addressed in order for the spine to change position and stay in a better position. Now look at the “before” photos earlier in this post. Notice again the uneven shoulders and hips?
The Egoscue routine of exercises we designed for our example here was basically going after the imbalanced hip and shoulder position and letting the spine react to that. And quite a reaction we got! Now in order for her posture to maintain this new beautiful position she must continue to do her Egoscue menu of e-cises on a daily basis to change her muscle memory. When she does this, long term change is not only possible, it has to happen.
When thinking about scoliosis, there are several key points to remember:
Bones do what muscles tell them to do.
The body functions as a unit.
Scoliosis, or the curve of the spine, is reacting to the hips and shoulders.
Specific exercises designed for an individuals unique imbalances will create positive change.
Barefoot running is everywhere these days as seen by some of the following articles, videos, and news programs talking about the subject:
And we can’t forget the best selling book:
With so much media attention, how do we tell if this is the real deal or just the latest fad? I mean things like the Ab Lounge, Thigh Master, Atkins Diet, and South Beach Diet have all dominated the headlines at times but all turned out to be hot-air filled fads that don’t play out in real life. I have always believed that the truth can be found in common sense, science, and experience. So let’s take that approach to barefoot running.
Common Sense
Humans are born barefoot. If you seen a baby born with shoes, I’d love to see the photos! Humans have always ran. Humans invented the running shoe 40 years ago. Injury rates have not decreased since the running shoe was brought to market. If shoes were so great, injury rates should be way down (they’re not) and all the Africans running without shoes should be injury ridden (they’re not).
Science
We know when running barefoot, people will naturally mid-toe strike which decreases impact forces compared to the heel strike that shoes encourage. Anthropologists have said the human body has so many things that support the idea that we are designed to run including our narrow pelvis (allows efficient flexion extension of legs), thin light bones (less weight = faster runner and less energy expended), vertical structure of our joints and head (as opposed to all other animals), Achilles tendon (to act like a spring), big butts (relative to other animals that keeps us upright), and even the tendon on the back of our skull (that steadies our head while running).
The best research I have seen yet has been done by Daniel Lieberman and crew at Harvard in their Skeletal Biology Lab and can be found on their wonderful website here. (If you are at all interested in this topic, you must explore their website – it is that good!) This is a good intro video my Mr. Lieberman:
Many people have said that running creates injuries from the impact that is just too much for the body to take. But we also have studies that show running and other impact activities help increase bone density, muscle mass, ligament & tendon strength, and cartilage density & shock absorbing capacity.
Experience
If you haven’t tried running barefoot (we all did as kids, but I’m talking about recently), I would highly recommend it. For me, running barefoot feels great! I am in touch with the earth, reacting to the environment, and performing a dance that does not happen in big padded expensive running shoes. I am a fan of the Vibram Five Fingers for the minimal protection they give without sacrificing the barefoot feel that is so great. As one first time barefoot runner put it, “It’s amazing. It feels like I’m floating.”
Do your own research, listen to your own intuition, and trust your experience and let me know what you think.
Migraines may be right up there with root canals and childbirth as one of life’s more painful experiences. But unlike childbirth or dental surgery — the pain of which can be dulled with standard medications — migraines are notoriously tricky to treat.
That’s the way a recent article in the New York Times describes migraines, which effect 36 million Americans. The article blames a “genetic disorder” as causing migraines and then states:
“What might be a miracle drug for one person could be a dud for another,” said Dr. Joel Saper, director of the Michigan Headache and Neurological Institute, a treatment and research center in Ann Arbor. “There is no universally effective therapy.”
American medicine is funny sometimes. We are so happy to get in the laboratory and go looking at the microscopic details of the human body, but the problem is when we do that, we do so at the expense of the big picture. I’m not here to talk about the differences in how dihydroergotamine and sumatriptan effect the brain, but I am here to remind you to not forget the big picture and that expensive medical tests are not the only way to figure out what is going on.
Let’s start by describing the 8 Laws of Physical Health (Pain Free by Pete Egoscue page 28)
As adaptable as our human design is, our dynamic bodies are subject to the 8 Laws of Physical Health.
VERTICAL LOADING – Gravity is necessary for health. In order for gravity to exert a positive and dynamic influence on the body it must be vertically aligned in its postures.
DYNAMIC TENSION – A state of constant tension exists between the front of the body and the back of the body. The posterior portion is responsible for the extension of the body and the anterior is responsible for the flexion, or bending forward, of the body. Neither activity can be performed correctly and healthily without this action.
FORM AND FUNCTION – Bones do what muscles tell them to do. All skeletal motion is initiated by muscular activity.
BREATHING – The body will not function without oxygen. So essential is this law that the body has redundant systems to ensure compliance.
MOTION – All of the body’s systems—digestive, immune, and so on—are interrelated. The common thread that binds them together is movement. The faster the molecules of the body move the higher the metabolic rate. The higher the metabolic rate the healthier the human being. We are designed to run, jump, and climb, fall, roll, and skip, not just for initial development but for continued health throughout our lives. If these activities hurt or cause pain it is because we are violating some or all of the laws of health.
BALANCE – In order for the law of motion to be effective and true the body must achieve balance, defined as muscle memory, sufficient to constantly return the body to the first law of vertical load. For balance to occur, muscles must work in pairs and equally on the right and left sides of the body. Being left- or right-handed hinders this balance only when we violate the laws of motion.
STIMULUS – The body reacts to all stimuli twenty-four hours a day, regardless of the conscious state for health. Therefore, the law of motion constantly reinforces this law of stimulus. If motion is limited, the law of stimulus becomes stressful to the body. The body absorbs pollutants and irritants rather than deflecting them.
RENEWAL – The body is organic; therefore it is in a constant state of growth or rebirth. Muscles, bones, nerves, connective tissues, cartilage, and the like are all alive. If the body is not renewing, it is because we are violating the laws of physical health.
The more laws we violate, the faster we age and die.
Taking our example of a person who has migraine headaches, these 8 laws can help explain why they have migraines and also how to get rid of them (yes without drugs!).
We can assume (with very high accuracy) they are violating the laws of vertical load (the 8 major load joints: ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders, should be lined up from front and side view of standing posture), dynamic tension (along with load joints being lined up we should see a neutral pelvis and S-curve of spine) , breathing (we should see East-West breathing not North-South breathing), motion, and balance.
The great thing is, we also know we can add the correct stimulus to their life and through the law of renewal they will restore proper posture and function so they are no longer violating any laws.
When we are no longer violating any of the laws of physical health we look, feel, and perform better and miraculously migraines can disappear.
For a free set of e-cises designed to help impact headaches – whether migraine or not – click here.
When people hear“bone-on-bone” (knee, hip, wrist, ankle etc.) most people (including well-meaning doctors) think “it’s too late to do anything, time for a replacement.” This line of thinking comes from the idea that our bodies are like machines. “When your cars’ brakes are worn-out you need to replace the brake pads with new ones and then your car is back to normal.” There are two problems with this line of thinking:
We have yet to (and probably never will) “build” a replacement part that is close to as good as the original part (but medical science will never stop trying)
Machines are dead and our bodies are living – meaning we are able to rebuild our own parts at the rate of 500+ billion new cells a day!
When not replaced, the worn-out brake pad on your car will continue to wear away every day because the car does not have a means to repair/rebuild it on it’s own. But our bodies do! Our bodies are constantly repairing and rebuilding everything from our skin (we have all seen this happen after a cut or scrap) to our bones (observed in people who have healed a broken bone or raised their bone density) to muscle tissue, brain cells, nerve cells, cardic muscle, and even cartilage. The key to getting that “bone-on-bone” joint to repair itself is to make sure the reason why the joint was wearing away in the first place is corrected. That has to do with the postural position of the joint and the dysfunctional movement that has been happening. Correct that and the body will repair itself.
When Pete released Pain Free back in the early 90s, he made the claim that you can regrow cartilage and took a LOT of heat for saying so. Everyone thought he was crazy and dismissed his theory. If you don’t have a copy of Pain Free, here is what he has to say on page 107:
“As for the ‘irreversible’ cartilage loss, why of all the tissue in the body would the cartilage by the only one that does not regenerate? The answer is that it does regenerate. Laboratory experiments in Sweden have shown that under the right conditions cartilage, like any tissue, can be grown. Moreover, sports medicine practitioners have long recognized that athletes increase their cartilage density and shock-absorbing capacity during proper training.”
Once again, he was crucified for this statement. In his own words from Pain Free for Women he says, “That statement drew a barrage of criticism from doctors, researchers, and physical therapists. When cartilage is gone, they scolded me, it’s gone, and nothing short of a miracle will bring it back.”
Well, if it’s a miracle they want, then it’s a miracle they’ll get. Thanks to Rick Mathes in our Austin Clinic for providing these x-rays (read his full blog post about this client HERE). We had a client working with one of our therapists who was told he had to have his knee replaced. Take a look at the first picture from April, 2004 and you’ll understand why the doc suggested it:
To help explain what you’re looking at, it’s as if you are facing this client. His right knee is on your left. Notice that on the far left hand side of the image there is decreased space between the femur (upper leg bone) and the tibia (lower leg bone). Loss of cartilage, right? I agree. This guy is surely headed for a knee replacement…or is he?
Take a look at the second set of x-rays from July, 2005, just a little over a year after the first were taken. Notice the uniform spacing between the femur and tibia. It’s a miracle! The cartilage is regrown! While I agree the cartilage is regrown, I don’t believe it necessarily qualifies as miraculous. Instead, I believe the client took charge of his health and put faith in his body that it can heal itself. What a remarkable difference, and all without going under the knife. When you switch from being symptom-focused (i.e. loss of cartilage and needing a knee replacement) to being cause-focused (i.e. why did the cartilage degenerate?), a lot can happen. Change the position of the knee joint, give the cartilage room to grow, and it will.
I love that there is finally ‘proof’ that Pete was right all those years ago. The body is an engineering miracle. It’ll heal itself if you just give it an opportunity. Keep moving!
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Thanks Rick Mathes and John Elder for the information used in this post!
It starts by talking about a guy named Garrett who is holding onto anger and is feeling helpless in the situation at the same time. Dr. Raymond describes how “his body became tense and stiff as if he was protecting himself from being taken off guard again. Garret got another attack of low back pain that always seemed to affect him when he was angry and unable to do anything about it.”
After an explanation of Garret’s scenario and pattern as an example, Dr. Raymond goes on to explain how research has found several important links between chronic pain and anger and forgiveness. A couple highlights are (read the article to see detailed explanations):
Expressing anger lowers leval of pain and increases recovery time.
Comfort with forgiveness reduces pain, and distress.
Muscle tension from anger strains the lower back inducing pain.
Forgiveness dampens the charged emotional brain that causes pain.
The article goes on to talk about how science has shown us how emotions and anger and resentment are linked to back pain and what you can do from an emotional standpoint to help get rid of the pain. Read the entire article here, it is well worth reading!
When new clients come into the clinic they always want to know how I became involved with the Egoscue Method.
My story begins at age 3 when I was diagnosed with scoliosis. I lived a Pain Free life until the age of 19 when I was injured in a BMX stunt accident. I suffered from hip and back pain for 10 years. I had a seen a variety of health care practitioners only to experience temporary, symptomatic relief. I was a fit, 29 year old athlete who was living with pain 24 hours a day with no relief in sight.
You can imagine my gratitude when my former boss introduced me to The Egoscue Method. Finally somebody explained to me WHY I had pain and put me on a plan to restore my body back to its functional design. I was a fitness professional myself at the time and I instantly knew I had to learn the method and help my clients because they all had some type of pain.
I know first-hand how debilitating it can be to live in chronic pain, but I knew I wasn’t destined to live that way. I came to understand that retraining muscles and restoring function is a process. I committed to the process, chose wellness as my path and I was amazed at my body’s ability to heal once I knew WHAT to do.
And now, 10 years after learning the Egoscue Method, I am pain free and back to flying on my bike. I believe you too can experience a life without limitations.
When you commit to the process and choose wellness, you will be amazed at your body’s ability to heal. If you are ready for a new level of health and well-being, take the first step.
You are not moving enough to keep your body and overall health from deteriorating. - Pete Egoscue (last quote also from Pete Egoscue) 9 hours ago
From birth to death, we never stop moving. Even asleep, we toss and turn; the heart beats. Motion – that’s what the human body is all about. 9 hours ago
